Bus lanes may be banished in Liverpool City Centre

Posted: 20/09/2013

There are currently a total of 24 operational bus lanes in Liverpool but Liverpool City Council are seriously considering closing all the bus lanes around the city to ease congestion. Mayor Joe Anderson has reviewed the use of bus lanes and has come to the conclusion that the bus lanes are not encouraging people to use public transport and could be causing unnecessary traffic jams and increased pollution.

There are plans for a temporary suspension of the bus lanes to be introduced next month where CCTV will be examined and views of the people of the city will be collected. These temporary bus lane closures could be in place for 9 months if they are given the approval of the cabinet.

According to Liverpool City Council Highways Department the bus lanes within the city are one of the largest sources of complaints by the general public including the minimum fine of £30 charged if motorists stray into the bus lanes, even by mistake. However, Arriva whose busses operate within the city have admitted they are ‘disappointed’ by the proposal and Liverpool City Council could lose around £700,000 in revenue from fines if the bus lanes were scrapped.

If the proposals to remove the bus lanes gets the green light it is anticipated that the signs and road markings will be completely removed by the 21st October. Do you think the removal of the bus lanes in Liverpool City Centre is beneficial to the city or would you prefer the bus lanes kept operational and why?